Method of treating oils with finely-divided solid material



April 1930. N. E. Looms 1,753,171

METHOD OF TREATING OILS WITH FINELY DIVIDED SOLID MATERIAL Filed June 12, 1928 16 CLAY HOPPER C0 OLER COL UMN N v Elmvewtoz Patented Apr. 1, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NATHANIEL E.LOO1VIIS, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARDOIL DEVELOIMENT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE METHOD OF TREATING OILS WITH FINELY-DIVIDED SOLID MATERIAL Application filed June 12,

This invention relates to the treatment of oils with finely divided solid materials, such as decolorizing clay. The invention will be understood from the following description read in conjunction with the drawing which is a side elevation, with parts in section, of

. apparatus in which my method may be carried into effect.

A still 1 is mounted in any suitable setting 2, heated by means of a burner 3. A vapor duct 4 communicates with a rectifying column .5. This is provided with the customary transverse partitions 6, which in turn carry overflow pipes 7 and vapor distributors (bell caps) 8. A cooling coil 9 is provided in the upper part of the column. Vapors leave the rectifying column through a pipe 10, discharging into a condenser 11. Oil may be introduced to the system through a pipe 12.

A clay hopper 13 communicates with a clay feeder 14;, which is adapted to supply clay 1 in a continuous and uniform manner tomateria-l flowing in pipe 12. A pump 15 is con-' nected to pipe 12 and discharges through a pipe 16 into a heat exchanger 17, which may consist of any suitable device for passing liquid received from pipe 16 into indirect heat exchanging relationship with another liquid, thereafter delivering the partly heated liquid into a pipe 18 which in turn discharges into rectifying column 5, at or near its mid-portion.

A pipe 19 is connected near the base of column 5 and communicates with branches 20 and 21, controlled by valves 22 and 23 respectively, whereby material may be conducted through or around heat exchanger 17 and delivered into a pipe 24. Pipe 24 communicates with a filter 2 5, which may be of any suitable type adapted to separate finely divided solids, suspended in an oil medium. Filtrate may be discharged from the filter through pipes 26 and 27, discharging into a receiver 28.

A pipe 29 communicates with this receiver near the base and discharges into the suction side of a pump 30, which is adapted to force li uid into a pipe 31, communicating either with a heat exchanger 32 or a by-pass 33, controlled by valves 34 and 35 respectively. Both 1928. Serial No. 284,850.

heat exchanger 32 and by-pass 33 communicate with a pipe 36, which dischargesinto still 1. A draw-off pipe 37 leads from the base of the still into heat exchanger 32 and the liquid delivered by pipe 37 after passing through this exchanger may be thereafter withdrawn from the system through a pipe 38.

A preferred method of operating the described apparatus is substantially as follows:

The oil which is to be treated, for example a crude pertoleum oil, is supplied through pipe 12. The method is particularly adapted for the treatment of paraffin or semi-paraffin base crudes, Which'are to be decolorized preparatory to the manufacture of petrolatum rily treated with acid to increase its activity.

It is one of the advantages of my process that a preliminary drying of this clay is not essential and the clay may therefore be added to the oil in a moist condition or even in the form of a suspension of clay in oil or water.

The amount of clay to be added to the oil may vary over Wide limits, thus for example, I may add from .1 up to 10% by weight of the oil, although I preferably add about 2 The mixture of clay and oil is delivered by pump 15 through heat exchanger 17 into rectifying column 5. A body of oil is maintained in still 1 and vapors therefrom are rectified in column 5. The lighter portions of the crude oil are vaporized and rectified in the column and the rectified vapors pass off through pipe 10 to be condensed in 11 from which they are diverted to any suitable accumulator.

The bottoms from column 5 containing clay in suspension, are conducted away through pipe 19 and preferably passed through exchanger 17 in indirect heat exchanging relationship to the mixture of clay forced by pump 30 through pipe 31 into still 1. This filtrateis preferably passed in heat exchanging relationship to liquid which is continuously withdrawn from the still through pipe 37. The withdrawn liquid,

after being partly cooled in this manner, is.

diverted through pipe 38 to any suitable accumulator.

The amount of heating which takes place in still 1 is so-rgulated as to drive overhead through vapor pipe 10 a first distillate,

such as gasoline, or if the oil has been pre The amount of" cooling accomplished bycoil 9 in the upper viously topped, kerosene.

part of column 5 is correspondingly regulated to give the desired sharpness of separa-' tion and to control the final boiling point of the overhead vapor passing off through 10.

' Without any extra equipment or additional control, the decolorization, dehydration, and rectification of the crude oil may be simultaneously accomplished. It will, of course, be apparent that the crude oil may receive a preliminary acid treatment if desired, and that the recovered clay may be regenerated and re-employed in the system.

The foregoing specific description of apparatus and method of operation is for purpose of illustration and it is my intention that the invention be limited only by the appended claims or their equivalents, in which I have endeavored to claim broadly all inherent novelty.

I claim:

1. The method of treating crude oil, with or without a preliminary topping, which comprises introducing 'a mixture of crude oil and clay into the mid-portion of a group of rectifying zones, withdrawing liquid bottoms containing suspended decolorizing clay from the said group of rectifying zones, filtering said liquid bottoms to separate clay therefrom, conducting the filtered bottoms into a body of oil maintained at a temperature at which hydrocarbon vapors are evolved and conducting the evolved vapors into the said group of rectifying zones at or near the lower portion thereof. I

2. Method according to claim 1, in which the said body is heated to the extent necessary to cause rectification to take place in the said group of rectifying zones and the formation of a rectified vapor consisting substantially of gasoline.

3. -Method according to claim 1, in which the added'clay contains substantial quant1t1es of moisture.

4. Method according to claim 1, in which the crude oil has been preliminarily treated with sulfuric acid.

NATHANIEL E. LOOMIS. 

